Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl
Romance
Avon
January 13, 2026
Hardcover, Ebook, Audiobook
416
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone comes a brand-new college town raunch-com about a sexy single dad professor and a feisty law school grad turned nanny in this steamy tale of Academic Affairs…
She wants to be a good girl. He’s dying to teach her.
New to town and freshly single, rookie lecturer Maddie isn’t looking for trouble … until she ends up in bed with Bram – a sexy, grumpy single dad – on her first night.
The catch? He’s her new boss at home (he needs a nanny), and her colleague at work (he's a professor, too). So to make it work, they set some ground
- No more sex
- They can never be alone in the house together
But Maddie’s great at breaking these rules, and Bram’s even better at dishing out consequences…
Wow! Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone earn top marks for this fun twist on a sweet and spicy workplace romance.
The sexy college professors were an excellent duo and managed to play within their power dynamics in a way that didn’t feel gross. There’s usually a very fine line between kinky and creepy, and these authors nailed the balance. I loved reading this!

The side cast of characters were equally as delightful as the main couple, and I laughed out loud on more than one occasion. There was enough plot to keep me entertained when our lovers weren’t on the page, and kept me invested in the outcome. I haven’t read much from these authors before, but there were a lot of little breadcrumbs dropped throughout this story to make me want to go back and see if their previous books answer any of my lingering questions or curiosities.
The only detail that tripped me up were the footnotes. I appreciated the style and substance of the dissemination of information, especially considering the story formatting being written by Joey F*cking Kemp, but trying to flip back and forth between the pages and the footnotes took me out of the progression of story. I would have preferred notes at the bottom of the page for quick glances. Maybe it’ll be printed that way and this version was only for the arc.
I loved this story. I loved the world building off of the authors’ previous work. I hope there is more sexy academia in the future, and more ‘good girl’ talk.

I’m Val, and I’m excited to share my love of books with you! I’m a sassy Sour Patch kid from New Jersey, dog mom to Chance the beagle, and much like the rest of the Hive, I’m a coffee lover (I think it’s a requirement to be here). The first book I remember reading voluntarily involved a boy wizard who lived in the cupboard under the stairs, and I’ve been chasing magic ever since. I love Happily Ever Afters, and I love love. My favorite genres are romance and rom-coms, fantasy, and young adult/new adult. If I’m not reading, I’m probably kayaking, watching the Great British Baking Show, or discovering a new craft beer.



This one sounds like a lot of fun! Thank you for putting it on my radar.